U.S. House Approves Energy Bill
New legislation passed by the U.S. House strips oil and gas industries of $16 billion in tax incentives and applies them to cleaner forms of energy.
If approved as part of a broader energy package, the legislation passed in a rare Saturday evening session would mark the federal government’s first-ever set of national standards for renewable energy sources, The Angeles Times reported Sunday.
The plan is part of a Democratic push to require utilities to generate more power from the wind, sun and other clean-energy sources, The Times reported.
We are turning toward the future, said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. This beautiful planet is God’s gift to us. We have a moral responsibility to preserve it.
If enacted, the legislation would require utilities to generate about 15 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2020. U.S. power plants account for about a third of carbon dioxide emissions, the leading contributor to global warming.